Farm-to-table distribution will take a quantum leap in Brooklyn when Whole Foods and partner Gotham Greens create a 20,000-sf greenhouse atop one of the retailer's supermarkets. Expected to open this fall, the facility will supply produce to nine Whole Foods stores in metro New York City.
Gotham Greens, an organic grower, has supplied produce to Whole Foods since early 2011. The growing method incorporates hydroponics and advanced glazing materials, as well as high-efficiency irrigation systems. The output is seven to eight times higher than a traditional greenhouse of equivalent size. The proximity of the produce—mainly leafy greens and herbs, as well as vine crops like tomatoes and cucumbers—is predicted to have high appeal for the city's locavores.
Gotham Greens is footing the bill for the greenhouse construction; Whole Foods will continue purchasing the produce as before. Any excess may be sold to other clients.
(http://www.fastcoexist.com/1681738/this-super-local-brooklyn-whole-foods-will-have-a-20000-square-foot-rooftop-greenhouse)
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